Q&A The Official Technical Issues Q&A thread (TV's, Controllers, gamecubes, etc)

[TeeDiddyDizzle]

That was on Wii. I use USB Loader GX and DIOS MIOS Lite.

Ok thank you

 

[Dolla Pills]

I got the new Nintendo-released controller when it came out, and lately I've been having a lot of problems dashing because the left/right directions of the stick are super loose. Is this something fixable, and if it is is it something I would want to try to fix (difficulty wise)?

 

[Smog]

Could anyone make an estimate on how much my input lag this TV has?
LC-20E1U Sharp TV
Or if someone knows a way that isn't super complicated I could do.

Also is there a reliable yet cheap wii to CRT monitor cable out there?

 

[Kadano]

Could anyone make an estimate on how much my input lag this TV has?
LC-20E1U Sharp TV
Or if someone knows a way that isn't super complicated I could do.

Also is there a reliable yet cheap wii to CRT monitor cable out there?

Probably 20 ms or more.

If you have a high-speed camera (240 fps or more), you can record dash-dancing with the controller in front of the TV. Watch the video frame by frame and measure the time distance between the first frame where your control stick looks like it is at a position that triggers dash and the first frame where you can actually see the dashing frame. Take at least 10 measurements and average them.
This amount should not be much higher than 55 ms, which is roughly the time the Gamecube takes to process the inputs into rendered frames.

Yes, such a cable exists. I have two of them. They work fine with CRTs, but if you want to dist-amp them, you’ll need to run them through an Extron RGB interface first.
http://www.amazon.com/Mayflash-Wii-PS3-VGA-Cable/dp/B001MQT0O8
Disregard the bad reviews, they are from noobs who don’t know what they are doing. They complain because the cable blacks out every so often on LCDs (not on CRTs!), but that’s partly the Wii console’s fault.

 

[Earthboundy]

Can the dolphin emulator have no lag?
Specs:
Geforce GTX 660
Core i5 4430
8 gigs of ram
1 tb hdd

I have dolphin with 20XX and a gamecube adapter. I was wondering if that would be a suitable replacement for a Wii since I don't have a computer with an SD card reader to put 20XX on there (I was lucky to get Project M from a friend )

 

[Kadano]

Can the dolphin emulator have no lag?
Specs:
Geforce GTX 660
Core i5 4430
8 gigs of ram
1 tb hdd

I have dolphin with 20XX and a gamecube adapter. I was wondering if that would be a suitable replacement for a Wii since I don't have a computer with an SD card reader to put 20XX on there (I was lucky to get Project M from a friend )

As long as you use a 4-port GCC adapter with a new version of Dolphin, disable Windows Aero and vsync, enable exclusive fullscreen and have a fast gaming monitor (120 or 144 hz, preferably), you should be fine.

 

[The Soap]

I recently got a USB capture card (the ones that have ports for AV cables). To output to both my TV and the capture card I would need three splitter cables that can split the signal from my Wii into both of them, correct? And if so, where can I find them? (Sorry if I'm being dumb and this is obvious, I'm pretty new to this stuff)

 

[Kadano]

I recently got a USB capture card (the ones that have ports for AV cables). To output to both my TV and the capture card I would need three splitter cables that can split the signal from my Wii into both of them, correct? And if so, where can I find them? (Sorry if I'm being dumb and this is obvious, I'm pretty new to this stuff)

The established way to do this for Smash is to use passive splitters. Depending on how much distance you need between TV and capture device, you can either go cheap with three 2-female-1-male (2F1M) RCA splitters (5$) and one triple 1M-1M RCA cable (3$) of the desired length or buy three 3F RCA splitters (3$) and two triple 1M-1M RCA cables (3$ each).

However, passive splitting always means double termination, which results in brightness loss and degradation of the video signal. Active splitting keeps all brightness the same, so you don’t need to increase the brightness levels on capture card and TV. Here’s the cheapest composite+audio distribution amplifier I found, 15$. You’d also need two triple 1M-1M RCA cables (3$ each) with that.

Total price for cable set 1 (max distance between TV and capture device: 170 cm, passive): 8$
Total price for cable set 2 (max distance between TV and capture device: 300 cm, passive): 9$
Total price for set 3 (max distance between TV and capture card: 300 cm, active): 21$

 

[S_F]

How do I get the Mayflash 4-port Wii U/PC Gamecube controller adapter to work on Dolphin? I have the drivers installed, it works on things besides Dolphin, and Dolphin recognizes it as a controller but won't register any inputs. Any way to fix this? I'd rather not have to use an Xbox contoller for Melee netplay...

EDIT: got help from reddit, nvm, works now

 

[Diltune]

Kind of pertaining to hardware, I just got 20XX hack pack on my usb following BeanWolf's guide and tryed playing it on my Wii with Nintendont but gave me a black screen instead. It works on Dolphin but not either of my Wii Consoles. This only happened once with another game but I've been at this for 20+ hours and with no prevail. Is there anything I could be missing?

 

[Diltune]

I assumed someone knew about it pls.

 

[524119]

What is the best adapter for the 20XX emulator to have the least amount of input lag?

 

[Y-L]

What is the best adapter for the 20XX emulator to have the least amount of input lag?

The Nintendo Wii U one and the Mayflash 4 Port Wii U one are the best because they can utilize Dolphin's native support for 0 input lag.

 

[524119]

@ Y-L is the Nintendo Wii U adapter any better than the Mayflash Adapter? Because the Nintendo Wii U adapter costs much more...

 

[Y-L]

@ Y-L is the Nintendo Wii U adapter any better than the Mayflash Adapter? Because the Nintendo Wii U adapter costs much more...

its 22 compared to 15.50. There should be no difference besides the Nintendo is first party.

 

[The Soap]

The established way to do this for Smash is to use passive splitters. Depending on how much distance you need between TV and capture device, you can either go cheap with three 2-female-1-male (2F1M) RCA splitters (5$) and one triple 1M-1M RCA cable (3$) of the desired length or buy three 3F RCA splitters (3$) and two triple 1M-1M RCA cables (3$ each).

However, passive splitting always means double termination, which results in brightness loss and degradation of the video signal. Active splitting keeps all brightness the same, so you don’t need to increase the brightness levels on capture card and TV. Here’s the cheapest composite+audio distribution amplifier I found, 15$. You’d also need two triple 1M-1M RCA cables (3$ each) with that.

Total price for cable set 1 (max distance between TV and capture device: 170 cm, passive): 8$
Total price for cable set 2 (max distance between TV and capture device: 300 cm, passive): 9$
Total price for set 3 (max distance between TV and capture card: 300 cm, active): 21$

So to use the first set, the RCA cables from my Wii would go into the splitter, and the triple 1M-1M RCA cable would connect to the splitter and the TV, correct?

 

[Cool]

@ Y-L is the Nintendo Wii U adapter any better than the Mayflash Adapter? Because the Nintendo Wii U adapter costs much more...

Objectively they should be the same.

 

[BRUJO~]

I'm trying to set up melee for dolphin on my PC, and I've encountered a problem...
I have the KELUX gamecube controller adapter for the wii u, and it is my understanding that it should work for the PC as well. When I plug it into the USB ports in my computer, it tries to install the driver, but when I open dolphin it does not recognize a controller is plugged in. I read somewhere online that the Zadig program could help identify and install the driver, but I couldn't figure it out. Can anyone help me with this? Or link to me to a thread that has an answer? Much appreciated

 

[Kadano]

So to use the first set, the RCA cables from my Wii would go into the splitter, and the triple 1M-1M RCA cable would connect to the splitter and the TV, correct?

No. The splitter would connect the Wii with the TV (or recording device), and the triple RCA cable will connect the splitter with recording device / TV (whichever is not connected yet).

I'm trying to set up melee for dolphin on my PC, and I've encountered a problem...
I have the KELUX gamecube controller adapter for the wii u, and it is my understanding that it should work for the PC as well. When I plug it into the USB ports in my computer, it tries to install the driver, but when I open dolphin it does not recognize a controller is plugged in. I read somewhere online that the Zadig program could help identify and install the driver, but I couldn't figure it out. Can anyone help me with this? Or link to me to a thread that has an answer? Much appreciated

https://wiki.dolphin-emu.org/index....i_U_in_Dolphin#Driver_installation_with_Zadig

 

[BRUJO~]

No. The splitter would connect the Wii with the TV (or recording device), and the triple RCA cable will connect the splitter with recording device / TV (whichever is not connected yet).


https://wiki.dolphin-emu.org/index....i_U_in_Dolphin#Driver_installation_with_Zadig

Thanks homie

 

[-Philip Coast Philip-]

This amount should not be much higher than 55 ms, which is roughly the time the Gamecube takes to process the inputs into rendered frames.

Where'd you get the number for that? I could be wrong but it just seems high. thanks.

 

[Kadano]

Where'd you get the number for that? I could be wrong but it just seems high. thanks.

http://smashboards.com/posts/19087659

 

[-Philip Coast Philip-]

http://smashboards.com/posts/19087659

Yeah I figured it out a moment afterward, ha.

 

[dw42s]

Im thinking of "restomodding" an emerald controller by swapping the board with a brand new one to get the newer stickbox. I am not a fan of the 10 foot cord as I usually play within 5 feet of the console and I want to keep the controller looking the same. Has anybody ever successfully swapped cords on a board? Is it a simple desolder and resolder job or is there more to it to be aware of?

 

[Kadano]

Im thinking of "restomodding" an emerald controller by swapping the board with a brand new one to get the newer stickbox. I am not a fan of the 10 foot cord as I usually play within 5 feet of the console and I want to keep the controller looking the same. Has anybody ever successfully swapped cords on a board? Is it a simple desolder and resolder job or is there more to it to be aware of?

Yup, resoldering 6 pins is everything you need to do.

 

[Sempai]

Did we figure out if painting the new Wii U controllers is worth it or not? Such a strange feeling plastic.

 

[Y-L]

@ Kadano I've got a few technical questions I'd like to ask you if you could please?

I've seen that you have tools for measuring latency with a good degree of precision. Could you possibly test on Dolphin:

1) The difference in latency with internal resolution/AF/AA (or maybe just IR) versus no graphical enhancements? I've been wondering how much lag enhancements could cause.

2) The difference in latency with Dolphin's vsync on vs vsync off? I have to use vsync or else I get horrible screen tearing. Also I know that Exlusive Fullscreen on Dolphin disables Windows Aero's vsync but is there any difference beside that from your knowledge? I wouldn't think so but I don't know. Basically, is there any point in having Fullscreen on and Aero off or is just having fullscreen on enough since it bypasses Aero's vsync?


On an unrelated question, I've been considering putting LED mods on my controller. Would you happen to know anything about that? I've seen the guide here on smashboards on the custom controller thread that requires you to cut your wires but i've also seen this guide which does not require that. I asked the guy who wrote that post about it and he said sometimes 2 of his 4 LED's flash. Do you know if one method is superior to the other and would not having your LED's flash without removing the rumble pak?

Thanks for your help, you've been a blessing to the smash community.

 

[Kadano]

@ Kadano I've got a few technical questions I'd like to ask you if you could please?

I've seen that you have tools for measuring latency with a good degree of precision.

That is a bit of an overstatement. My method is not very accurate and obsolete, but I have neither the money nor the knowledge to work with state-of-the-art equipment.
The method I’ve used so far is really simple (240 fps camera records controller movements in front of a Melee screen, then I view the videos in AvsPmod and count the frames from input to output), and suffers from at least these things:
1. For all Dolphin measurements, a CRT is used. CRTs require analog video, but the analog video outputs of most modern consumer-level graphics cards are known to have a (seemingly) random 0-1 frame delay over the digital outputs. (I think it’s because the RAMDAC is not synced to Windows’ frame rate, but that’s just a guess.)
2. My finger inputs are synced to neither the Gamecube’s polling rate nor the camera’s frame rate, which together should account for roughly 16 ms of random delay.
3. There is some ambiguity when counting the frames—“Is my finger at a position that seems like it’d cause a dash in-game?” left quite a bit room for interpretation.

To even out these interferences, I took 10-12 samples each and averaged them. All of the six test series were within each other’s stdev ranges, except one: The Dolphin series with vsync on and Windows Aero on. That one was 30 ms higher than the other five series.

Could you possibly test on Dolphin:

1) The difference in latency with internal resolution/AF/AA (or maybe just IR) versus no graphical enhancements? I've been wondering how much lag enhancements could cause.

One of the Dolphin test series was with 1xIR and no AA / lowest AF, another one was with 3xIR and maximum AA and AF. Both had vsync off and Aero off. There was no significant difference between them, in fact the 3xIR one ended up with 1 ms less average delay, but that’s well within my method’s error range. So it’s somewhat safe to say that IR and AA do not increase lag at all. (Except if you drive your GPU to its limits probably, but as long as you use a discreet GPU (or possibly Broadwell / Skylake iGPU?) that shouldn’t happen.)

2) The difference in latency with Dolphin's vsync on vs vsync off? I have to use vsync or else I get horrible screen tearing. Also I know that Exlusive Fullscreen on Dolphin disables Windows Aero's vsync but is there any difference beside that from your knowledge? I wouldn't think so but I don't know. Basically, is there any point in having Fullscreen on and Aero off or is just having fullscreen on enough since it bypasses Aero's vsync?

Exclusive fullscreen escapes Windows desktop composition which I’ve read is another frame of lag (regardless of Aero and vsync). If I’m not mistaken, vsync should only add half a frame of lag on average, and something similar should happen within the Gamecube as well. I recommend keeping vsync on. I haven’t done test series with only vsync turned on / off yet, I might do this in the future to find out how much delay it adds roughly.

On an unrelated question, I've been considering putting LED mods on my controller. Would you happen to know anything about that? I've seen the guide here on smashboards on the custom controller thread that requires you to cut your wires but i've also seen this guide which does not require that. I asked the guy who wrote that post about it and he said sometimes 2 of his 4 LED's flash. Do you know if one method is superior to the other and would not having your LED's flash without removing the rumble pak?

Thanks for your help, you've been a blessing to the smash community.

I don’t care about cosmetic hardware mods at all so I have no knowledge about LED mods. I do know that @ Sham Rock has done this quite a few times, I think he’s quite the authority on this subject.

 

[Sham Rock]

@ Kadano Who dares to summon me?

@ Y-L I'm unable to fathom what exactly your question is, would you please try to formulate it in a different way?

 

[Kadano]

@ Kadano Who dares to summon me?

If you don’t like that:

 

[Sham Rock]

No gags, just pure and quick effectiveness with you, I love that about our conversations ^^. If simple led mods are something not well understood buy the community I would like to offer my assistance in form of a guest appearance in a video tutorial on your channel, always wanted to do that.

 

[Y-L]

@ Y-L I'm unable to fathom what exactly your question is, would you please try to formulate it in a different way?

Well, I'm very interested in adding LED mods to my controller, and I've found two different ways of doing it.

Method 1

Method 2

Method 1 involves cutting wires whereas method 2 doesn't so I was leaning towards method 2. However, I contacted the OP of method 2 to ask about his process. He said his LEDs work fine but sometimes two of them flash. He said maybe it would be more consistent with the rumble pak removed but I play with rumble so I don't really want to do that. My question was would using method 1 make it more consistent? I want to add 3 to 4 LEDs that are always on but I'd be worried of them flashing from not getting enough power or whatever. What's the best way to do this?

If you made a video tutorial I would be so appreciative. Thank you for your help.

 

[Sham Rock]

Method 1 just involves cutting a wire because OP chose to do so, you can do it without. Adding 3 to 4 LED´s in permanent on mode won´t be a problem for consoles, they provide far enough power for that. Although 4 already is overkill, 5mm clear LED´s shine bright af. I´m gonna start working on modifying some gamecubes mid July and while I´m at it i might as well try to utter out my random incoherent thoughts in front of a camera to help some inexperienced people out.

 

[Y-L]

Method 1 just involves cutting a wire because OP chose to do so, you can do it without. Adding 3 to 4 LED´s in permanent on mode won´t be a problem for consoles, they provide far enough power for that. Although 4 already is overkill, 5mm clear LED´s shine bright af. I´m gonna start working on modifying some gamecubes mid July and while I´m at it i might as well try to utter out my random incoherent thoughts in front of a camera to help some inexperienced people out.

I think I will just go with 3 then. One on each controller handle, and one in the center. I suppose I will go with method 2 then. A video would help a ton. I'm not planning on doing this until after Evo, so that works out perfectly. Thanks!

 

[Link24a]

How good is my CRT? it's a 25" Sharp, but unfortunately it has video settings (color, sharpness, tint, etc.). Does this mean that it's capable of storing video before it's displayed/therefore slightly more lag? If so, how much more?

Also, how much would messing with the settings affect the lag if at all?

 

[tarh2o]

Alright, so I've started playing melee on dolphin, and it is running very well. I'm only having problems with my controller. I'm using the WiiU gamecube controller adapter, and whenever i try to side-smash to the left with the c-stick, nothing happens. The c-stick is working in the air just fine, and every other smash attack works, and no matter how many times I try to calibrate it, it doesn't seem to change. Any help would be appreciated!

 

[Y-L]

Alright, so I've started playing melee on dolphin, and it is running very well. I'm only having problems with my controller. I'm using the WiiU gamecube controller adapter, and whenever i try to side-smash to the left with the c-stick, nothing happens. The c-stick is working in the air just fine, and every other smash attack works, and no matter how many times I try to calibrate it, it doesn't seem to change. Any help would be appreciated!

If you have the wii u adapter you should be using native support. Sounds like you're using vjoy/pc mode.

 

[tarh2o]

If you have the wii u adapter you should be using native support. Sounds like you're using vjoy/pc mode.

I'm having a hard time finding a guide on setting up native.

E: Alright, I actually found your guide, but now I can't find "direct connect" or even "ControllerSettings". There's "GCPad". I'm pretty sure that I'm using the latest version, but I'm not good with computers really and I'm not sure if I've replaced the correct files

E2: I'm an idiot for thinking I had to replace a file, I've sorted it out...

 

[Beach]

What controllers would people recommend? My Smash 4 one has terrible triggers and learning waveshines is quite difficult so I'd like a new controller (And it would give me 4 controllers at home!). I quite like the spice color (http://www.amazon.com/GameCube-Controller-Spice-Orange-Pc/dp/B0000E5U6J) Any Idea if it's a quality controller?

 

[Laser Knugen]

Hey so I'm really trying to setup so I can play some netplay melee but I'm having issues. So I have the newest dolphin version and a 1.02 melee iso. I've followed the guide on smashladder done all the settings correct and all but whenver I start the melee iso I get this warning:

pic.twitter.com/B6gjm9zGCr

— Johnny Sjögren (@XX911wascoolXX) July 3, 2015

. I'm very bad at computers in general, can someone cexplain in an easy way how to fix this?